Global Environmental Health Newsletter

March 2013

Feature

The Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010) published in the Lancet in December 2012 has provided an update to the landmark 2000 Global Burden of Disease report published by the World Health Organization (WHO). The 2010 GBD report, fourth in the series, is the largest systematic research endeavor to describe the global distribution and causes of a wide array of major diseases, injuries, and health risk factors and involved nearly 500 researchers from more than 300 institutions in 50 countries. (Read More)

Hans Rosling: 200 Countries, 4 Minutes – The Joy of Stats

In this video, Hans Rosling, Swedish medical doctor, academic, and statistician, tells the story of the past 200 years of achievements in lifespan and socio-economic development using interactive data.

The Joy of Stats

Extreme Weather, Climate, and Health: Putting Science into Practice

Recent extreme weather events have made it abundantly clear that climate change impacts are no longer theoretical, and adapting to them requires both science and strategies that are firmly rooted in the practical. In January, for the first time, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with the NIH Fogarty International Center, formally brought together grantees working on climate change and human health to discuss ways to bring the best science to bear on protecting public health. For more information, click on the links below:

The remains of a home in Union Beach, NJ stand as a stark reminder of the power after Hurricane Sandy, long after it swept through the area. FEMA is working with state and local officials to assist residents who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. Also found at http://www.fema.gov/photolibrary/photo_details.do?id=60463

Science Spotlight

An estimated 215 million children are employed worldwide across a variety of sectors including agriculture, construction, mining, and manufacturing, according to a 2011 report by the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour. More than 53% of these children work in hazardous conditions putting them at risk of injury, chronic illness, and death. Although it is a pervasive social problem, particularly in developing countries, very little research has investigated the effects of occupational hazards in working children.

Training & Capacity Building

For nearly two decades, Luz Claudio, PhD, has worked as an NIEHS-supported grantee to build environmental health and related research training programs in Latin America. Claudio, who grew up in Puerto Rico, received her scientific training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and now works at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, also in New York. She feels strongly about the need for U.S. scientists to participate in building research capacity around the world.